Twins C Kurt Suzuki records three-hit night in win on Tuesday

by Jason Lempert | Staff Writer

(7/7/15) Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki went 3 for 4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Orioles. The three-hit night gives Suzuki a .216 batting average over his last 16 at-bats, as he has been unable to sustain any offensive consistency this season.

But he is able to give it a go on Tuesday, though he'll likely be back out of the lineup for Wednesday's matinee. Suzuki has struggled to the tune of a .143 batting average (3 for 21) over his last six games.

2014 summary: The Twins signed Kurt Suzuki to a one-year deal last offseason, and in replacing Joe Mauer behind the plate, he played his way into a two-year contract extension. Suzuki's production had languished the previous two seasons as a flyball hitter who no longer had much power, but in 2014 he took to hitting more grounders. The change paid off in the form of a career-high .288 batting average and 61 runs, his highest total since 2010. Suzuki's lack of strikeouts -- 46 in 452 at-bats -- helped him towards an 11th-place ranking among catchers in Fantasy points, but he ranked just 17th in Rotisserie value.

Playing time status: Suzuki will return as the Twins' No. 1 catcher.

2015 outlook: A low strikeout rate and increased ground ball rate certainly helped to boost Suzuki's value, but a .288 batting average is probably as good as it gets for him. Because he has great contact skills and should get steady playing time, Suzuki will still be worth targeting as a No. 2 catcher in standard mixed leagues.
(Updated 12/9/14)